Frank Kaminski

Water, that vital element, is an invasive presence in the documentary Displaced on the Island of Java: A Village Sinking into the Sea.

More than just a record of the build, the film is a thoughtful exploration of the knowledge, values and community spirit behind Earthship construction.

Built from stacked earthbags and low-cost materials drawn largely from the surrounding landscape, the Mojave Center showcases an unconventional approach to homebuilding, constructed with the help of just a few volunteers. This documentary explores a compelling vision of off-grid life in the Arizona desert.

Robert W. Collin’s Who Gets to Adapt? is a solid examination of one of the most overlooked dimensions of climate change: not who is at risk, but who has the power to respond.

Mainstream coverage of off-grid, self-sustaining communities like the one featured in this video tends to be glib and sensational (focusing, for example, on “trash homes”). It’s so much rarer to see in-depth coverage of the full social, technical and ecological aspects of such communities, or intimate glimpses into residents’ daily lives and motivations.

This is a timely, informative, often unsettling documentary, one whose power comes from juxtaposition rather than argument. It refuses easy villains or fixes and challenges viewers to think less about individual consumption and more about systems of responsibility.